


A New Match

by mikeymagee



Category: Hajime no Ippo | Fighting Spirit
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-21
Updated: 2015-09-21
Packaged: 2018-04-22 18:35:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4846010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikeymagee/pseuds/mikeymagee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sendou and Ippo have a sort of rematch. (Written for unhealthydoctors)</p>
            </blockquote>





	A New Match

Sendo was beginning to realize, if he hadn’t already, that Makunouchi Ippo was more than just an ordinary boxer. More than just a man who could be a great boxer beyond Japan. He was a man of contradiction. Titles, and fancy nicknames never did this man justice, because the man known as Makunouchi always shifted. 

In the ring, he was a monster. A king who never gave an inch, who protected his territory better than any wild cat. His eyes focused on what was in front of him, his mind sharper than any hunting blade. 

But outside…outside that ring he became a simple man. A man who watched over his mother, who was nervous about taking showers after training, and stared off into the distance, as if searching for something he had lost.   
Today, Sendo could see both men. The gym was open (at least, for the next few minutes) and Makunouchi-kun, like most days, was the last to leave. Sendo never meant to hang around too long, he just wanted to pop in, mouth off, and exit with as much bravado as he had entered. 

But then he caught Ippo training with the nearby punching bag. The sound of his fists, and the grit in his voice made Sendo’s whole body shake. Even now, after all that time, Sendo could still feel the impact from his first match with Makunouchi. There was such a large disconnect between the boxer, and the man. One fierce as a raging sea, and the other as gentle as the ocean’s kiss.

“Hey, Sendo-san,” Ippo said as he slipped off his gloves, and threaded himself through the ropes. “I-I didn’t see you come in.” 

Sendo looked around, the place was deserted, aside from the two of them, of course. “Yeah well,” Sendo averted his eyes, what was it about this guy that made him lose his nerve, “I thought I’d see how you’re training was coming. I want to make sure your in top shape for our rematch.” Sendo pointed straight at Ippo’s nose, his statement sounding more and more like a stupid come-on with each passing second.

But Ippo didn’t seem to pick up on it. He simply smiled his simple smile and nodded. “I’m looking forward to that as well.” 

Shit. What was it about this guy? Ippo Makunouchi was built like a bull. Broad shoulders that could pull a truck. Legs that could move the earth beneath them. Yet all the while, a simple countenance that made the world seem a little sweeter. The Rookie King was truly a man of contradiction. 

“We need to shower,” Sendo said. 

“W-what?” Ippo asked, his face turning red, “I…uh…I was just going to-“

Without hesitation, Sendo wrapped his arms around Ippo’s waist, and hoisted him into a fireman’s carry. Ippo the boxer might be intimidating, but Ippo the man was anything but. At least, he was now. Sendo, the Naniwa Tiger, always knew to strike his opponent when he was at his weakest, it was just good hunting after all. And Ippo, in all his flustered and exhausted energy, simply did not have the power to stop anything. He was helpless.  
“S-sendo-san, please. Y-you know I’m no-“

“Quiet,” Sendo said. “We’re taking a shower, and that’s it. How can you expect to be a strong man if you can’t even shower with others?” 

That was a stupid excuse, Sendo knew, really he just wanted an opportunity to marvel at his opponent’s body without having to fear a jab to his face. Sendo carried Ippo into the shower. Stripped him of his shoes, and socks, and boxer shorts that were too soaked to be of any more use. Sendo turned to shower head on, and a wave of water and steam filled the bathroom like a curtain.

“S-sendo, I-“

But before Ippo could even protest, Sendo had shoved his mouth, his whole being, into Ippo’s face. Lips against lips. Tongue on tongue. Skin on skin. Sendo pinned Ippo’s hands against the shower wall. This was a match. A battle between two warriors. A fight for dominance, one man against another. But Sendo would not lose, not this time. Not when the prize was something far greater than a belt. The prize here, was knowledge. 

Now, in this shower, Sendo would understand and learn about every aspect of Ippo’s body. Ippo’s dry knees that were swollen from his roadwork that day. Ippo’s mosquito bites that he had earned from shadow boxing in the summer nights. Ippo’s flat stomach that boasted his protein diet. All of his body, and all of its workings. The strengths of his greatest enemy, and his biggest inspiration.

“Just be quiet and get cleaned up.” Sendo patted Ippo’s cheek and grinned, “I’ll be waiting when you’re ready to get out of here.”

Sendo gently released Ippo’s hands, and moved out of the shower curtain. If Ippo had been serious, really afraid for his life, he would have socked Sendo in the jaw. Hell, Sendo probably would have enjoyed a quick jab more than a stolen kiss. That’s just how his mind worked. 

But a kiss and a punch were the same things. A quick distraction, a blow to catch one off guard, and penetrate to deeper insides. For once, Sendo had left feeling like he had moved a little closer, and learned a little more.

But then again, who could really say?


End file.
